How to properly carve a chicken. How to carve a chicken? How to properly cut chicken for various dishes

Today I have a slightly bloodthirsty post. I want to show you how to cut domestic chicken how to remove unnecessary, unfit for food insides and how to process the ones we need. After all, it is not always sold in the form in which they sell factory chicken.

Before creating a post, I looked at what is on the Internet and did not find similar posts. Therefore, I decided to conduct such a peculiar, slightly bloodthirsty master class. I already wrote.

When you need to cook delicious and rich broth it is better for him to buy from chicken, grown in freedom and on natural feed. The meat of such a chicken is a little tougher than factory chicken, but it has a number of advantages that factory chickens do not have.

Homemade chicken broth is much more nutritious and healthier. And in order to cook the broth, the chicken needs to be disassembled. Indeed, on the market it is sold as a whole, removing only unnecessary insides, and even then not all.

How to butcher a homemade chicken. Master class with step by step photos

Before carving a domestic chicken, it can and even needs to be lightly singed over a fire to remove small remnants of fluff. If you have electric stove, then this procedure can be done with an ordinary lighter.

In order to remove the insides from the chicken, you need to put it with its back on a cutting board, carefully cut along the keel bone (this bone goes along the chicken breast and protrudes upwards).

With a hand, carefully take out the fat, if any, the stomach and liver with the gallbladder. You need to watch to gallbladder do not burst, otherwise the meat will become bitter. Separate the chicken fat.

Chicken fat should not be thrown away, as it can not only add flavor chicken cutlets, for example, but also to saturate your body with useful unsaturated acids, which are necessary for the growth and renewal of cells, as well as for strengthening bones.

From the liver, carefully cut off the gallbladder and everything that you do not like. If suddenly the bile spills, it is better to throw away the liver, anyway it will be spoiled.

The chicken stomach needs to be cleaned.

To do this, you need to tap it on both sides with the flat surface of the knife, and then cut it along the protruding edge and unfold it.

Remove leftover food from it and remove the yellow film.

All, chicken stomach can be washed and boiled in broth.

Cut the skin on the neck lengthwise and remove the esophagus with the pouch and trachea. Thus, we can assume that the insides of the chicken are removed.

How to cut a domestic chicken into pieces

Now the simplest thing left is to cut the homemade chicken into pieces. Of course, it is not like a factory one, but this does not mean that it needs to be cooked as a whole. I am not a professional, but an amateur, so I do not pretend to be correct. I carve the chicken the best I can.

First you need to cut off the neck, wings and legs. Then cut off the legs.

The legs can be cut off the tips, as shown in the photo.

Then remove from the tail the place where the chicken accumulated fat, and cut the carcass in half, separating the tail.

You need to remove the lungs from the breast with your finger, they give a lot of foam during the cooking process and everything that you don’t like, and cut the breast into pieces.

Master class - how to cut a homemade chicken, completed. It remains only to prepare the broth.

Subscribe to updates so you don't miss anything. And for the most impatient, I can advise you to cook homemade chicken over low heat for at least 2 hours.

Nutritious and taste qualities chicken meat depend on the correctness of slaughter, cutting and further processing of the carcass. Immediately before slaughter, the bird is completely limited in eating.

Lighting must be turned on in the room intended for keeping selected birds at night. It is at this time that their goiter is very quickly released and gastrointestinal tract. At this time they must drink enough liquids.

Ways to slaughter chickens at home

In home gardens, external and internal (“split”) methods of slaughter are used. When using the first method, which is the easiest to perform, the best bleeding of all types of birds is provided.

Using the second method allows you to quickly separate the plumage when slaughtering chickens.

• During the external method of slaughtering birds, you need to hang it by the legs and lay the wings on top of each other. Then they take the chicken by the head, stretch the neck and cut the carotid artery with a sharp knife.
• For internal slaughter scissors with a sharp blade are inserted into the mouth of the bird, with which they cut the jugular vein (above the tongue in the back of the palate). Next, an injection is made with scissors into the palatine fissure towards the back of the skull. After the destruction of the cerebellum, the muscles of the bird weaken, which favorably affects the cleaning of plumage.

Rice. 1. Methods for slaughtering chickens: external (left) and internal (right): 1 - palatine fissure, into which an injection is made during slaughter, 2 - the place of the vessel incision, 3 - bridge vein, 4 - jugular vein, and - slaughter through the mouth, b - places of incisions blood vessels at slaughter

How to kill a chicken externally and internally is shown in Figure 1. Then the bird is left to hang upside down for better bleeding.

Note: Not enough drained blood affects poor storage, since the remaining fluid in the body is a good breeding ground for various microbes. The type and age of the bird affects the choice of slaughter method and the time for bleeding (may vary within 1-2 minutes).

Immediately upon completion of bleeding, they begin to pluck, and the feathers can be separated by a dry method, as well as when pretreatment V hot water. The temperature for processing should not be higher than 53 C, and the chicken carcass should be kept in water for no longer than two minutes.

There is also a way to slaughter chickens without using a knife. IN this case bleeding and cutting is carried out immediately after slaughter.

How to kill a chicken in this way is shown in Figure 2:

1. Take the paws of the bird in your left hand. With your right hand, take the chicken by the neck, and pinch the head between the index and middle fingers.
2. Pull your head back and down a little. So you quickly break the cervical vertebrae.
3. After that, immediately tie the paws of the bird, hang it up and start plucking, first removing the feathers on the wings, then on the legs, and finally from the body.

Rice. 2. Slaughtering a chicken without using a knife

Before slaughter, the bird should not be fed during the day. So her digestive tract will be cleaned, and the meat will be of better quality.

Chicken cutting - diagram and video

After removing the plumage, gutting begins. The intestines and gallbladder are discarded (Fig. 3). The heart and liver, as well as the muscular stomach (without the cuticle) can be used as food.

Also, as an additive to bird feed, such internal organs prepared by boiling:

• spleen
• trachea
• Lungs
• glandular stomach
• Esophagus
• Testes and ovaries

Rice. 3. Gutting a chicken: 1 - make a cross cut on the neck, 2 - remove the neck bone and head, 3 - stick your fingers into the hole and widen it, 4 - carefully cut off the tail so as not to damage the internal organs and spoil the meat, 5 - remove the intestines, 6 - remove the internal organs, 7 - gently fold the skin on the neck inside the carcass, 8 - tie the paws and wings for easier storage

After gutting, the carcass is washed in cold water and leave to cool down room temperature for eight o'clock.

After cooling is completed, it can be used for cooking or placed in freezer for storage.

Storage of chicken carcasses at home

The meat must be aged before being used in order for it to mature so that it becomes tender and juicy, and also has pleasant taste and aroma. Post-mortem rigor in birds occurs much faster than in other animals, and they have a shorter time period for meat maturation.

In young animals, the maturation period lasts 2-4 hours, and in an adult bird, 6-8 hours.

• If the meat is not planned to be stored for a long time, it can simply be put in the refrigerator or wrapped in a clean cloth moistened with vinegar (the cloth must be constantly damp);
• For long-term storage carcasses are first slightly cooled, and then frozen (at least minus 12 degrees). In winter, they can be taken out into the cold, dipped several times in water and frozen in the air (until an ice crust forms);
• To prepare meat for long-term storage, the chicken must be salted with a solution table salt. With the help of douching, the brine is poured through the mouth, after which the neck is bandaged and the salted bird is hung by the legs. After 20 hours of salting, the introduced brine is drained.

Also, smoked carcasses are good for long-term storage. For smoking, gutted poultry is cut along the breast and salted in a dry way for about two days, after which a load is placed and salted for another 3 to 6 days, depending on the size.

Before direct smoking, salted carcasses must be washed with clean cold water and dry.

Rice. 4. Storage options for chicken meat: 1 - frozen, 2 - salted, 3 - smoked

Carcasses intended for long-term storage are smoked with cold smoke for 2-3 days, the smoke temperature should be approximately 20 C. For short-term storage, it is best to smoke with hot smoke, in the first hour of smoking the temperature should be 80 C, and for the rest of the time 35- 40 C.

Duration of smoking is 3-4 hours. At the end of smoking, the meat should be wiped with a dry cloth to remove soot and soot. Smoked carcasses are stored in a suspended state, in a cool, dry room at a temperature of no more than 5 C.

The author of the video will tell you in detail how to properly gut a chicken and prepare a carcass for further storage.

How to pluck a chicken at home

IN industrial scale chickens are plucked in special devices. At home, you can pluck a chicken in several ways (Fig. 5):

1. Scalding: immediately after bleeding, the chicken is placed in a container with boiling water for a minute. After that, the water is allowed to drain, the carcass is hung up and the feathers are removed. However, when pinching too fatty chicken during the removal of feathers, the skin may be damaged.
2. Combined: the carcass is immersed in boiling water for a minute, then quickly taken out and wrapped in a cloth or bag. So the pores of the skin expand, and the feathers are removed more easily without damaging the skin.
3. Nozzle: there are special nozzles that are attached to a drill or screwdriver. With this nozzle, feathers are removed in just five minutes, while with the usual mechanical way this will take 15-20 minutes.

Rice. 5. Ways of plucking chicken: 1 - scalding, 2 - combined method, 3 - using a special nozzle

The bird is traditionally considered one of the most popular dishes In many national cuisines, and each person knows exactly his favorite piece: wing, leg, thigh or breast fillet. In order for everyone to be satisfied at the table, the hostess needs to be able to process the carcass quickly and deftly.

How to butcher a chicken

It is customary to cut the bird into six, eight or ten parts - the exact amount depends on how large portioned fragments you want to serve. If it was baked or fried whole, then the legs and thighs can be served as single legs, and the breast can be cut into two or four pieces. Not the last role is played by the size of the chicken, because a tiny gherkin can only be cut into quarters.

How to cut up a chicken portioned pieces? If you accurately determine the places of articulation of the bones (joints), then it will not be difficult to separate the legs and wings from the ridge. To learn how to properly cut a chicken into portions, it is best to work with a sharp knife with a large blade. Some housewives prefer special culinary scissors: if you cut along the joint, then you do not need to apply physical force.

Chicken cutting for barbecue

Chicken kebab less popular than pork, but popular with those who prefer more tender meat. Butchering a bird to prepare such a dish takes time and skill. How to cut a chicken into portions? Do this:

1. Rinse the carcass.
2. Lay on your back.
3. Separate the wings with a sharp knife. The last, extreme phalanx, can be chopped off and thrown away.
4. Chop off the leg. Cut the drumstick from the thigh (if the leg is large, you can cut it into four parts).
5. Separate the breast from the ridge and cut into 4 pieces. The back and throat are not used for barbecue.
6. Pierce the pieces with a skewer carefully, parallel to the bone, and string tightly to each other.

How to cut fried or boiled chicken

A cooked whole bird is considered festive dish. So that everyone can choose whether to taste a wing, white chicken meat or chicken legs, the owners must know how to properly cut the chicken. The algorithm will be simple:

1. Lay the finished carcass on the back.
2. Use sharp kitchen scissors (or a knife) to cut along the center of the breast. You can immediately cut crosswise to get four ready-made portions white meat.
3. Carefully cut off the leg. The thighs from the lower leg are easier to separate with your hands.
4. Cut off the wings last. You can leave on them part of the shoulder - white fillet.

How to cut a chicken into pieces for pots

Many recipes involve cooking poultry or meat in a pot, such dishes with the addition of vegetables are especially flavorful. So that all guests can enjoy hot, you need to cook in small pieces. Each hostess can choose whether to buy separately prepared thighs or breasts, or learn how to properly butcher a whole chicken. The specificity of dishes in a pot involves very small fragments, so you will need to cut the bone with a special hatchet. The process is quite simple.

We all often cook chicken dishes. Moreover, the meat of this bird is suitable for first and second courses, and for salads, and for baking, and for barbecue. Just let your imagination run wild using different pieces. But few people risk buying whole carcasses. And in vain. Having learned how to cut them correctly, everyone will easily receive the ingredients for cooking. variety of dishes. How to butcher a carcass, we will tell below.

How to choose a chicken

It is best to choose chilled carcasses. In this case, you will pay only for the meat itself: negligent suppliers pump the bird with water before freezing to increase the weight. In addition, the quality of chilled meat is easier to establish.

Did you know? Chicken is the main meat consumed in Israel (67.9 kg per person), Antigua (58 kg per person) and Saint Lucia (56.9 kg per person).

Express diagnostics of the chilled product:

1. Examine the carcass. If wounds or bruises are visible on it, there are damages or dark yellow spots on the skin, it is better not to buy such a chicken.
2. Focus on hue. The age of the bird is determined by the color of the skin. In young hens, it is pale pink, with clear streaks. Adult chickens have thick, yellowish skin.
3. Feel the chicken. After pressing a finger on the breast, the flesh will quickly return to its original shape. If, as a result of touching, a hole remains, this is an indicator of a poor-quality product.
4. Smell it. Fresh chicken smells like normal raw meat. Those carcasses that emit the aroma of medicines or other side odors should not be chosen.

Video: how to choose a chicken

How to butcher a chicken

To quickly and easily cut the carcass into pieces, you should adhere to the following plan:

1. First cut off the wings. The carcass is placed with the brisket up and the place where the wing fits is felt. An incision is made here with a knife and the cartilage that binds the bones is located. Knowing this secret, butchering a chicken will be much easier. The other wing is separated in the same way. If this part of the chicken is going to be fried, then the wing tips are cut off and used for broths. And the wings themselves are divided by membranes.
   
2. When the wings are separated, you can proceed to the legs. To do this, easily, without pressing, the skin is cut through in the area where the leg connects to the brisket.
   
3. Putting the knife aside, twist the leg with your hands and break it. This is done only until the tip of the thigh bone appears. As soon as the bone is separated from the breast, the meat is cut to the end with a knife.
   
4. The same manipulation is done with the second leg. Now we have separate pieces for preparing delicious dishes.

   Did you know? For the first time, about three thousand years ago, a chicken was domesticated in the territory of modern Ethiopia.

5. If there is a desire, the leg can be divided into a lower leg and a thigh. To do this correctly, the leg is placed in such a way that its front side (it has more skin on it) is turned down. On the inside of the leg, a shallow depression is noticeable, which divides the two muscles of the leg - the tibia and the femur. It is along this line that the incision is made - the bones are connected there.
   
6. Next, cut the breast. An incision is made along the thoracic spine, pressing the knife against the frame. Using your fingers, carefully cut the meat from the bones. First on one side, and then on the other.
   
7. The frame can be broken apart for easy storage.

Important! When you fill your hand, the process of cutting the carcass will take 5-10 minutes.

As a result, we obtain the components for various dishes:

• fillet, thighs, drumsticks, wings - for cooking, frying, baking, stewing;
• ribs, back, wing tips - for soups;
• fat - can be left for frying.

How to cut chicken fillet

Fillet is the best the best part Chicken. The process of its separation at first glance seems complicated. Many people think that getting a beautiful piece is quite difficult. However, the instructions for separating the fillet will help in this difficult matter. And if you fill your hand, then the process itself will take a little time.

So, take the breast and do the following:

If the fillet is needed for stuffing, cut off excess pieces of meat, leaving only smooth flesh.

How to separate a chicken from the bones

Chicken roll rightfully considered a real decoration holiday table. By adding branded ingredients to this dish, you can amaze guests and loved ones with culinary talents. However, many inexperienced housewives It's the separation of the chicken from the bones that scares me. Indeed, in order to leave the carcass intact, you need to have skills, make a lot of effort and show skill.

Important condition to get the desired result - sharp knife. When cutting, you will have to make numerous cuts, therefore, with an insufficiently sharpened tool, a lot of strength and nerves will be spent.

So, the process of separating the bones is as follows:

The frame can be left for broths, and the chopped chicken can be stuffed or put on rolls.

Video: cutting chicken into a roll

Chicken products are considered the most frequent guest on our menu, as they are quickly digested by the stomach, easily absorbed by the body and do not have as many fats as pork or lamb. According to its properties, chicken meat can be considered a product that is suitable for consumption by both children and adults.

Click the mouse on the photos to enlarge them.

1. Many housewives, having bought a whole chicken carcass, do not know what to do with it next, except how to cook chicken soup Or roast a whole chicken. Now I will tell you and show you with the help of photographs how to independently and quickly learn how to cut a chicken into a wing, breast, back, chop and drumstick. So, put the chicken on the table and take a sharp knife.
2. 
   We take the wing with our left hand, turn it a little clockwise and bend it towards ourselves at an angle of 45 degrees.
3. 
   After that, we make a small incision so that the knife reaches the joint. You don’t need to make any special efforts, the main thing is that the knife is sharp.
4. Here we made a cut. Please note that it is very difficult to cut the bone and joint with a knife, so cutting off the wing occurs in two simple steps: cutting only the skin, meat, and only then the tendons. To do this, you just need to put a knife between the joints and easily separate the wing from the carcass.
5. 
   In the same way, we bend and cut off the next wing. It is worth paying attention to how to properly grab the wing and hold the knife: with all fingers we take the wing, bend it and separate it strictly between the carcass and the wing along the bisector.
6. 
   Now let's separate the ham. To do this, you need to correctly grab the ham with two fingers, while carefully holding the carcass with the remaining three so that it does not sway.
7. 
   Then you need to cut the skin that connects the breast and ham together, but before that, the ham needs to be pulled slightly away from the carcass in order to make it easier to cut the skin.
8. 
   Then you need to change the grip of the ham and find the pelvic bone with the tip of the knife.
   Pay attention to how to properly hold the knife and how to grip the ham. After that, we cut along the pelvic bone from top to bottom until the knife touches the joint or bone.
9. 
   Having made an incision along the pelvic bone, you need to bend the ham back with a slight movement, while holding the chicken carcass. After you have broken the joint out of a small depression, you just need to draw a knife between the meat and the skin, finally cutting off the ham from the back.
10. 
    Do the same with the second chicken leg.
11. 
    Put the rest of the chicken carcass breast down, put the knife into the recess so that it comes out in the same place on the other side. After that, we grab the chicken with two fingers by the recesses, with the rest of the fingers we simply hold the carcass in one place.
12. 
    Moving the knife with short movements back and forth and to the right, we separate the back from the breast.
13. 
    You need to cut along the path of least resistance, this is where the back ribs are the thinnest. Having cut the ribs, bend the back back so that it is convenient to cut the cartilage that connects the back to the breast.
14. 
    We cut the second cartilage in the same way, or you can simply bend the back a little back and the cartilage will break, but a small sharp bone will remain.
15. 
    So we separated the breast from the back.
16. 
    We have breast, back, 2 legs and 2 wings. The remaining ham can be cut into carbonate and drumstick, or you can be lazy and leave everything as it is.
17. 
    If you decide to go to the end and cut the chicken into all parts, then
    you need to take the ham, turning it towards you with the rump and bone, and putting the knife approximately on the bend, lightly press on it.
18. 
    Then just cut off the carbonate from the lower leg.
19. 
    Second chicken leg similarly cut into the lower leg and thigh.
20. Thus, we have the following parts chicken carcass: two wings, back, bone-in breast, 2 carbonade (thigh) and 2 drumsticks. Here we are with the chicken! As you can see, nothing complicated. Now you can save money by buying a whole chicken in the store and embedding it yourself for parts.